A quick note about all the wars...

Between 9/11, Iraq, Iran, and all of the other international catastrophes that have befallen our country since 2001, we're clearly going through a period of time that will be looked back on as a pivotal moment in American history.

I would argue that many, if not most, of our government's actions will be judged harshly.

I have two primary theories about what's going on at the top echelons of American foreign policy to explain why we're screwing things up so badly. The first- the less likely of the two- is that there is some sort of cynical, quasi-conspiracy being orchestrated by certain people to create a dynamic in the Middle East (and a specific American reponse to it) that benefits certain American power and business interests. These interests are not aligned with the overall goals and hopes of typical Americans- in fact, these interests benefit from America doing things that ultimately harm America as a whole.

I think that's quite possible, but not likely. And I think if it does prove to be the case, George W. Bush is probably not one of the people orchestrating the "master plan".

The second theory, which is what I actually believe, is that the brunt of the problems we are facing as a nation stem from the fact that our president is, literally, a stupid, uninterested, cowardly, defensive idiot.

Clearly, George W. Bush is not directly responsible for all of our problems. But imagine, just for a moment, how different things could be if our country were being led by an intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful person with true leadership qualities.

Compared to what we've got, that's a fantasy, but I truly believe a real leader would have been able to take all of our challenges and woe and help lead our country, more or less united, to do things that would inspire most of us, and most of the world.

We are literally being mislead- and all angles of that pun are in full effect.

And one more thing: since when has war been the only serious solution to serious problems? I'm not even making a war vs. diplomacy argument- I'm making a "war!" vs. "tough-ass stuff behind the scenes" argument.

America made its way through the Cold War, doing all kinds of things (both overt and covert) to defeat a formidible foe with a minimal amount of outright "war".

Do you mean to tell me that America, the world's only superpower, the pinnacle of high-tech know-how and can-do ingenuity, can't figure out how to degrade Iran's ability to build nuclear weapons without fighting a war over it?